Shona
by Kyandra
Summary: Sonea has an friend that none of the guild new from. Now this friend has returned to Imardin. And she's able to communicate with her mind like the magicians
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this story, only Shona and the rest that I changed ******

**Shona's return**

Sonea turned back to face Regin. The last bout of the battle was about to  
begin, when she heard something:

"_I'm back at home!"_

Automatically Sonea answered with her mind, "_Shona!"_

Only after that did she realise, that her friend shouldn't be able to contact her with her mind. Shocked silence followed both sides.

Then Sonea heard Shona ask hesitantly and unsure, "_Sonea you heard me? You've never heard me before..."_

In the same moment Sonea started firing questions at Shona "_Where have you  
been so long?", "how can you contact me like this?!"_

_"I don't know. I did call like this since I first left and came back to Imardin, but  
what 'bout you? Why can you suddenly hear it?"_

Sonea smiled, _"Long story. I'll tell you when we meet"_

_"No! It'll drive me crazy. I still have to sail into the harbour so you have  
plenty of time telling me your story"_

Sonea smiled it seemed as if Shona hadn't changed in the least. She was  
still as curious as ever. _"Fine this is what happened:"_ Sonea showed her  
the most important happenings since Shona had left apart from the knowledge that the high lord uses dark magic.

_"Great shot with that stone; served him right"_ Shona observed.

Underneath her satisfaction Sonea could also feel Shona's worry and shock that she was within the magician's guild.  
_"What are you doing now?"_ Shona asked.

Sonea realised that she was standing in the middle of the arena in a fight with Regin, and that she was surrounded by all the magicians of the guild which very likely had listened to her conversation with Shona.  
With a slight sense of panic she send a thought to Shona: If you don't  
want the guild to find you right now, go hide and don't contact me like  
this, they hear it too.  
Sonea felt Shona's alarm. _"Watch after yourself, 'till we meet"_ and with that  
Shona's voice got silent and Sonea knew she had hid her presence.


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this story, only Shona and the rest that I changed ******

**Flight and the end of the battle**

As soon as Shona quit the contact between Sonea and her she started making  
plans. She had told Sonea that she still had a little bit to sail to arrive the  
harbour; and within these few minutes the magicians could be there waiting for  
her. Silently Shona left the place she was ordered to; to watch out. She took  
her few belongings from her sleeping place and went to the back of the boat..  
There she hid it in a corner she new no one would find it at least the next  
two weeks. And within these two weeks she hoped that she would have time to  
get it back. After that she glanced critically to the nearest piece of coast.

It was quite a bit to swim. She was lucky that this trip had brought her to  
Elyne, where she had encountered a young nobleman that taught her how to swim  
properly. With a last sight Shona jumped into the see, and started to swim. That was  
definitely not the way she had planned her arrival. After climbing onto the land Shona was exhausted. She had no time to rest now, after realising that she was nowhere on any of the ships the guild would try to find her. She walked swiftly into her home; the slums of Imardin. She new most people would feel disgusted by the smell, dirtiness and poverty of the area but for Shona it was a place where she belonged and the first place where she was fully accepted.

If the dwells knew who she was they wouldn't accept her. Instead they would be afraid, but as it was she loved it here. She soon arrived at her real home: The Thieves' Road.

Meanwhile in the guild the magicians had once again a meeting because of a magic-wielding slum dwell. When Sonea stopped speaking with Shona, Balkan had sent some of his warriors out to wait for her on the harbour; determined that they wouldn't be outwitted by another inhabitant of the Slums.

She was on a ship. She couldn't go hiding into the slums if they caught her before she even had time to set one foot on Imardin's ground. The rest of the magicians had remained watching the last bout of Sonea and Regin's fight and Sonea knew they would question her after the fight with Regin. She wanted the fight to end quickly so she could think about this revelation. Her best friend could use magic, if it was true that she had used it since she first returned to Imardin from one of her regular trips, than she could use it years before she herself could. Shona was about the same age as Sonea.

While Sonea fought Regin, she thought about her possibilities: the Guild would  
surely want to know everything about Shona she knew and if she refused to say  
anything the Guild could force her to show them everything. They would simply  
let Akkarin truth read her. Unfortunately if she told them everything they could also do it, thinking she was lying.

Only Akkarin could prevent that and he would himself want to know everything about Shona. She had to warn Shona as soon as she was truth read that the guild knew everything about her that she knew. After coming to this result she started paying attention to the fight again.

During her thinking she had only attacked with simple weak strikes and had held up a powerful shield that shielded her from everything Regin could do now when he was tired.

She attacked with powerful strikes. But Regin sidestepped them all, so  
they ended flashing into the Arena's barrier. Suddenly impatient, Sonea wanted the battle to end and the confrontation with the guild to begin. One way or the other this bout would win who had more power. So she could now end it quickly. Closing her eyes Sonea envisioned a pattern of strikes giving Regin no way to escape them. She released the magic in three waves of force strikes, each more powerful than the previous.

Although distracted from the news of another magic wielding slum dwell the  
magicians were surprised by her strength and quiet exclamations could be heard  
from the crowd.  
Sonea watched as the strikes hit Regin, with the first wave of strikes Regin's  
shield broke; but as the next two waves hit the inner shield also wavered, and  
Regin fell to the ground.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I own nothing of this story; only Shona and the rest that I changed ******

**The meeting**

As Sonea had guessed, a meeting was ordered as soon as Lord Balkan had declared the battle over. So while the other novices and the non magical inhabitants of the guild spread themselves over the guild grounds Sonea had to wait before the guildhall until she was called in.  
She had not waited long as she was called into the hall. Being there reminded her of the last two times she had been here. The first time: the hearing where Rothen gained her guardianship and the second time when she was joining the guild. It also reminded her of Lorlen's discovery that, Akkarin, the high lord of the guild had used Black Magic. It fuelled her fear that he would truth read her again; that she could do nothing to keep anything from them, to help Shona - whatever Shona wanted to do any way - she guessed that Shona wouldn't want to join the guild.  
Sonea stood in front of the higher magicians and waited for the questions to begin.  
"Sonea as you very well know we all heard your conversation with this friend of yours, Shona right?" Lorlen Started.  
"Yes."  
"Do you know if she learned to use magic from a magician outside the guild? You know that if not she has to learn to control her power."  
Sonea hesitated. "I don't know if she learned it from another magician, but from her reaction I'd say no."  
"Then why did you warn her so that she could run away from us? You know that we won't do anything to her. And you know what could happen to her if she stays out of the guild."  
At this sentence Sonea grew cold. Akkarin! She hadn't thought about him. He could search Shona on his own to use his black magic on her.  
"I...I wanted her to have time to think about what she wanted to do. I didn't think about the danger." Sonea said hesitating.  
"So will you help us to find her, and tell us a bit about her? Maybe she can join the guild like you did."  
Sonea considered this. She had to tell them about her, but she didn't believe that Shona would join the guild.  
It was true that all dwellers hated the guild but Shona had hated the guild more than every other person Sonea knew, and she didn't think that could have changed over the time they hadn't seen each other.  
"What do you want to know?" asked Sonea still reluctant.  
"Tell us a bit of her. How you met her, her personality, anything that can help us to understand what kind of person she is."  
"She's....well that's to difficult like this" and with that Sonea mentally called Shona.  
"_What's up Sonea?"_ was the instant answer. _"Wait first answer me one question. Can they find me if I speak with you."  
"As far as I know…No."  
"Alright what's wrong?"_  
By this most magicians in the hall eyed Sonea sceptically.  
_"You saw what happened to me when I discovered my magic. What about yours can you control it?"  
_There was a long silence. _"Yes I can control it. I'm not going to be a danger to anyone near me."  
_Sonea sighed. _"The guild will want to know how you did it. And they don't allow anyone using magic outside of the guild. They could bind your magic or maybe you could join the guild."_  
This time the silence was even longer than the last time.  
After 2 minutes without a reply the magicians began to be impatient and a murmuring started, until Lorlen asked Sonea the question all magicians wanted to know.  
"What do you think is she doing? Will she run away?"  
"No I think she is considering her options and how to get out of this." Sonea replied. "But as far as I can tell she won't join the guild."  
That surprised the magicians. "What makes you think that?"  
"I didn't like magicians as I came to the guild. But compared to Shona I was a mage-lover." Sonea told them a little bit smug.  
"So she…" Lord Sarrin was stopped short in his sentence as Shonas mind voice was heard again.  
_"Ok I'll meet some of the magicians, tonight in the slums. But you have to come to Sonea and only if you tell me now which magicians will come. Take some you like and some that can make decisions but not more than 5."  
_Sonea, knowing Shona, quickly told her the first names that came into her mind that passed Shona's terms.  
_"Rothen, Lorlen, Balkan, Vinara…Akkarin."  
_Sonea really had wanted to leave Akkarin out, but if he was present she could warn Shona from him. Some times it was good that Cery had taught her a bit of the thieves' signs. She would sign Shona that he is dangerous so she would know what he looked like and not only a name.  
_"We'll meet there tonight at eleven o'clock"_ Shona showed Sonea a picture of a street in the slums. Those magicians that had searched the slums wondered how Sonea could tell which street Shona was referring to, because in their opinion the street looked exactly as many others in the slums. But Sonea had no such problems. _"Ok"_  
_"And don't dress like magicians or I won't be there. I can't let myself be seen with a bunch of magicians."_  
"Well it seems like this meeting is over." stated Lorlen clearly amused.. "Sonea you may go. Meet us here at ten o'clock so we can leave early."

Once Sonea had left, Lorlen addressed the other magicians. "All magicians that weren't called by Sonea may also leave. We will meet again tomorrow morning. Lord Rothen, come with us. We need to speak about the encounter with the girl."

_As you may noticed the story is know written in better English. You can thank my Beta Fallen-Petals15. so thanks a lot Fallen-Petals for your help._

_Also the first two chapters are "betaed" so if you want you can read them now in better English._

_Also thanks for all you reviews and alerts :-) I think without them I would be to lazy to continue the story._


	4. Chapter 4

_Sorry it took so long to update. I know hom mad I get if the storys I like aren't uptated :-). But at least I didn't put the story on hold. How I came to hate these two words :-(_

**In the slums**

Sonea emerged as ordered at ten o'clock in the guildhall. Dressed in the rags a servant had brought her along with the message that High Lord Akkarin had spoken with the king to gain the allowance for them all to dress like this for their meeting with Shona.

As she looked at all the magicians Sonea had to suppress a smile. She never had seen them in something other than their robes.

"So Sonea I think you should take the lead since none of us knows where we're going exactly." Stated Lorlen who was according to his tone also amused by the situation.

Sonea nodded, turned and lead the way to their meeting point.

Soon after they entered the slums Sonea was greeted by a person she knew all to well.

"Cery!" she exclaimed and hugged him.

"Hai Sonea." responded a grinning Cery. "Shona send me to guide you through the slums. She still doesn't want you to walk through the streets we're going to go through without someone she trusts."

Sonea rolled her eyes. "I can look after myself as good as you can."

"Nah, you're way too friendly for this area." countered Cery smiling.

Sonea just rolled her eyes once more. "So tell me what's happened since I last visited."

"Not much the usual; since you already know that Shona is back."

The magicians that followed these two felt strange. This was for them all the first time in years that they were completely ignored.

Finally they arrived in a particularly dirty and dark street of the slums.

"I'm leaving now Shona should be here. She doesn't want me to be here while she's speaking with you lot." Cery told the magicians. "See you Sonea:" With that he turned around and left the street the same way they came.

They all watched his retreat until a low "leave all lights out" made them jump and turn; pulling a shield up around themselves.

In the next second Sonea let her shield fall away and hugged the person standing a few paces away from them in the shadow of a nearby house.

"So how exactly does this binding of magic work?" asked the person as soon as Sonea released her.

"Don't you want to keep your power?" asked Lady Vinara surprised.

"No." Was the simple reply.

"So how do you make it?"

"To bind ones power a magician has to cut the connection from ones magic to the brain. It doesn't hurt, but for somebody who is used to have magic it can be quite uncomfortable." answered Lorlen truthfully.

"So it can be made fast?"

"Yes the magician only needs a few minutes to make it."

"Fine I don't think you'd let Sonea do it. So ...Rothen would you bind my power?"

"I…Why me?"

"Sonea trusts you" Shona answered, as she beckoned him to her; still not leaving the shadows.

"And you are sure you don't want to join the guild?" Akkarin asked curiously.

"Yes. Now Rothen, would you..."

And with this Lord Rothen stepped forward into the shadows, put his fingers on her temples and closed his eyes to concentrate on what he was doing.

After a few minutes it was over. And he stepped back still not knowing what the girl looked like for she had a cloak that billowed around her and hid her face behind a hood.

"Well since this is finished I......"she was interrupted by the sound of hurried footsteps.

A panting figure came into view the person exclaimed "Shona! Help...Norin...attack....street kids!"

_Thanks again to my Beta_

_And Caro: sorry I know I said I would probably update around christmas but I had to change a few things in this chapter because otherwise the story wouldn't go the way I want it to._


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